The present invention relates to an automatically controlled capsule mixing device, and more specifically to a device having utility for mixing the contents of dental capsules.
In the dental field, mixing devices for dental materials such as for example, amalgamators, have generally been produced with mechanical rather than microprocessor controls. Therefore, key parameters such as mixing speeds and times are subject to variation and change from batch to batch and material to material, causing the operators to change mixing times and/or speeds. Often, the result is a setting outside the prescribed amount and a mix or a resultant product that does not have the described or optimum handling properties. U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,502 illustrates a device of this type in which the mixing time and speed are controlled by varying control elements on a machine manually under the control and direction of the operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,839, which is incorporated herein by reference, is directed to an automatic dispenser mixer having utility for mixing and forming a dental amalgam using a predetermined program and electronic control unit in which the key elements comprising the silver powder and mercury are tapped and selectively metered from respective reservoirs with the system in process controlled by the actuation of the conveyors for the material and the mixer through a display and the entry of various parameters to form the desired mixture.
The present invention is directed to improvement over the mechanically controlled mixers and amalgamators such as those illustrated by the 3,198,502 patent and to provide an automatically controlled unit which mixes capsules having a predetermined amount of dental material in order to provide constant performance which enhances the overall quality and use of the product contained therein.
The present invention is directed to a card coded dental mixing device whereby magnetic strip coded cards automatically feed product information to a dental mixing device which automatically mixes the contents of a dental capsule accurately to the desired time and speed necessary to provide products having consistent quality from batch to batch.